The Sprout

The Newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley

Issue 176 April 2023

The Sprout

The Newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley

Directors: Janet Bartlam, Judi Bolder, John Clements,

Michael Cockman, Ag MacKeith

Editor

Ag MacKeith

South View House, Old Botley, OX2 0JR Tel: 724452 Editor@TheSprout.org.uk

Advertising Manager

Michael Cockman

50, St Paul's Crescent OX2 9AG Tel: 07766 317691 Adverts@TheSprout.org.uk

Deliveries

Jan Shirley and Isabelle Hayes

9, Sweetmans Road OX2 9BA 07706 606719 Deliveries@TheSprout.org.uk

Copy Date: Copy by 15th of month preceding publication. Earlier submission is

welcome. Later contributions may have to be held over to the next issue.

Advertisements: If you have print-ready advertisements in the correct format the

last day for booking advertising is the 10th of the month preceding publication; in all

other circumstances more advance notice will be needed. For details about exact sizes,

quality requirements, advice on text and help with production, please contact the

Advertising Manager.

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Subscriptions: If you live outside North Hinksey Parish you can still receive The

Sprout on a regular basis. Just take out a postal subscription – only £12 per annum,

delivered to your door. Contact: Janet Bartlam: 01865 453111.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information printed in this

newsletter, mistakes may happen. The Editor and Team apologize unreservedly for any

errors that may occur and will do their best to correct them. This publication is not a

vehicle of the parish council, and parish councillors working with the Sprout do so in a

personal capacity. Opinions expressed are the opinions of the individual contributors.

All concerned in the production and delivery of The Sprout are unpaid volunteers.

The Sprout is printed by The Holywell Press, and published by

North Hinksey Parish Publications Ltd, (a company limited by

guarantee) Registration No. 05609535.

The Sprout

Issue 176 April 2023

Contents

3 Letters to the Editor

5 Change at Medical Practice

9 Tumbling Bay

11 Botley in Bloom

13 Flood Scheme Consultation

15 The Sprout Needs You

17 4th Oxford Scouts and

Kennington Memory Club

18 Robin Palmer

21 Your Council Tax Explained

23 Dosa Park comes to Botley

25 Planning Applications

27 Botley Has Cafės

28 Crofts Court Nearly There

29 Culture Corner

31 Public Art Unveiled

33 Youth Club Latest

35 2nd Botley Brownies

37 Randoms

39 General Organizations

From the Editor

The clocks have gone forward, April showers are here (unlike last year)

and there’s lots going on in Botley as usual. There will be changes at the

Medical Practice (p5), although hopefully this will not mean closure, the

Flood Scheme is up for consultation (p13) but still fails to get the support

of HOEG. Oxford Flood Alliance has details of changes in the application

if you’d like to know more: https://oxfordfloodalliance.org.uk/ In the pipeline

are the re-formed Youth Club (p33), affordable housing locally (p28) and

works to restore Tumbling Bay (p9). Now with us are the first tranche of

public art in the shopping precinct (p31 and cover), and the first two cafes

and a new restaurant (reviewed on pages 27 and 23). No longer with us,

sadly, is an unsung local hero, Robin Palmer, who died in February (p18),

a man of many parts. Two major events will hit Botley in May, local

elections for Parish and District Councils on Thursday 4th (p27) , and the

long weekend of Coronation Celebrations, around May 6th. Next month’s

issue will come out in good time so you can read what candidates for

election have to say about themselves. And there will be details of

Coronation plans, still under consideration. Officially they won’t include a

beacon chain, but that doesn’t mean we can’t light the beacon!

Ag MacKeith

Letters to the Editor

Gadgets

The best thing about the egg topper (March Sprout, page 34) is its

original German name: Eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher.

As for the gadget in the photo, my sister gave me one of those a

few years ago. She said it was for removing the hulls from

strawberries. I personally think it's a Denis Healey eyebrow plucker.

With best regards,

Uwe Ackermann

[Thanks, Uwe. – might have known the Germans would have had

a name for it. But the Sprout is not convinced by the strawberry

huller – we’ll be putting it to the test in June and reporting back!

Ed]

Changes at Botley Medical Centre

Patients have been notified that the partners at the Practice have decided

to give notice on their contract with the NHS. They will continue to practise

until early September 2023.

The Practice is not closing.

The Chairman of the Patients Participation Group has received a letter

from the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire Integrated Care

Board who intend to keep primary care services at Kennington and

Botley. They wish to work closely with the Chairman, the PPG and other

stakeholders to explore options and find the best possible solution.

The chair and vice chair have already begun to dialogue with the ICB.

The PPG has received some FAQs from the ICB, the link to these is here

– https://www.bucksoxonberksw.icb.nhs.uk/our-places/oxfordshire

/botley-medical-centre/ Patients are advised to read these questions

carefully.

Until September, the Practice and surgeries are open as normal. Patients

who require medical treatment should contact the surgery in the normal

way. For a prescription or a repeat prescription they should also continue

to contact the surgery, or their pharmacy, as normal.

The PPG is confident that a new provider to manage the surgeries will be

found in the timescale with a seamless change of management and a

continuing local health care service.

The Practice has excellent clinicians. In consultation with the Practice the

PPG has summarised the roles of clinicians (below) so that patients can

arrange appointments with a clinician in the first instance rather than a

doctor. Appointments with these clinicians can be booked in advance.

This will enable doctors to prioritise emergencies.

Clinical Pharmacist

They apply their pharmaceutical knowledge in hospital or secondary care

discharge management, patients’ prescription requests and issuing,

medication reviews, reviewing and setting up patients’ Dossett boxes,

medication queries, adverse reactions to medication, etc. The

practice team is formed by a lead pharmacist (in house), a prescription

clerk, a prescriber and two PCN pharmacists.

Physiotherapist

Physiotherapists are qualified independent clinical practitioners who can

assess, diagnose, treat, and manage musculoskeletal (MSK) problems

and undifferentiated conditions and, where appropriate, discharge a

person without a medical referral. Reception and other clinical staff can

refer patients to them to establish a rapid and accurate diagnosis and

management plan: they usually treat back pain, foot and knee pain, and

all type of musculoskeletal conditions. The Practice offers this service

three days a week.

Advance Nurse Prescriber

The ANP can deal with minor illnesses, plus other requirements like

contraception, etc, and she can prescribe for the patients. The ANP will

be able to check with a doctor on the day if needed or signpost the patient

to other services. The ANP can deal with a range of things from asthma

to ear infections, minor pain management, abdominal pain, chest

infections, colds, coughs, skin rashes, urinary tract infections, etc.

Physician Associate

They can treat the same medical conditions as a GP, but cannot

prescribe. They are supervised by an experienced GPS if needed. They

visit our care home population and can manage chronic diseases and all

sorts of medical issues. The Practice shares a physician associate with

our PCN colleagues.

Social Prescriber

The social prescribers can support people with a wide range of social,

emotional, or practical needs, and manage resources to improve the

mental health and physical wellbeing of our patients.

People with mild or long-term mental health problems will be referred to

them, as well as people with complex needs, people who are socially

isolated and those with multiple long-term conditions who frequently

attend either primary or secondary health care. On many occasions they

support elderly and vulnerable patients. The Practice has one in-house

social prescriber and two PCN social prescribers.

Tumbling Bay Update

A year ago,

40 or so peo-

ple gathered

at Tumbling

Bay early

one evening

to hear of the

Council’s

plans for

Tumbling

Bay. The

concrete

north wall

had become

unstable and

needed sort-

ing. The

Council talked of collapsing the bank into the basin and naturalising a

new bank.

Six months later, in October we gathered at WOCA and the Council was

talking of a bank of gabion baskets (stone-filled wire baskets) on the north

side stepped down into the basin. We were concerned about the risk of

baskets hidden in the water and how people would get out on the north

side given these rock baskets are not exactly kind on bare feet, since the

Council did not want to provide steps.

All went quiet. Then word came that a planning application was being

prepared, at which point the community would be able to comment. We

decided to take the initiative and submit the petition to Council. Signed by

2271 people it called for:

• · Preservation of the historic character and shape of Tumbling Bay by

seeking to repair or replace the existing wall.

• · For ladders to continue in situ to allow people to get out of the river

safely.

• · For Council co-operation with local residents to explore ways in which

funds could be raised to pay for the renovation work so that cost would

not be a barrier, as we understand that Council funds are hard

pressed.

On Monday March 20 we spoke to the petition at Full Council. You can

see the petition fantastically presented by Alice and hear the councillor

discussion here at https://youtube.com/watch?v=TB_WI_z24zw It starts at

3:15 mins.

We felt that there was a lot of positive support and agreement that there

should be dialogue with the community. The Council voted unanimously

for what we wanted, which was further engagement with local residents.

As of February, we were still in the dark about the cost and durability of

options. So we submitted a Freedom of Information Request to obtain the

details we knew the Council had looked at. This is what we now know;

Option 1 – replacement by a concrete wall £202,000 with a life of 80

years.

Option 2 – steel piling £192,000 with a life of 125 years.

Option 3 – Re-naturalisation of the bank £173,000 with a life of 4 years.

Option 4 – gabion baskets (we have been told these can not be vertical

but must be stepped) £166,000 with a life of 100 years (although some

suppliers at least seem to say 60 years in water).

So what next? We are looking for a community meeting in April. Our aim

is to ensure community feedback on the options. We are heartened that

the option that provides the longest life, while not being the most expen-

sive, is steel piling – a tried and tested method of edging Oxford’s water-

ways. It replaces the basin’s damaged vertical wall with a vertical wall

and retains the sense of history and purpose of Tumbling Bay.

Elizabeth Ball for the Tumbling Bay Preservation Society

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Botley In Bloom –

Front Garden Competition 2023

Categories:

• Best Overall Front Garden

• Best Cultivated-Wildlife Front Garden

• Best use of Vegetables in a Front Garden

Crucial dates

• Closing date for entries: Monday 5 June

• Judging: week beginning Monday 12 June

• Results announced: Monday 19 June

Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme

– your views are needed!

The Environment Agency’s £176 million (originally £120 million) Oxford

Flood Alleviation Scheme includes a 5km long flood channel from north

of the Botley Road to north Kennington, together with flood embank-

ments, culverts, bridges, etc. It aims to reduce flooding in Oxford and

‘keep Oxford open for business’. Maps on the county council website (de-

tails below) show the northern part of the scheme that affects Botley and

North Hinksey. The scheme needs to go through two separate processes

before it can go ahead:

1. The Planning Application must be agreed by Oxfordshire County

Council, and

2. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs must make

Compulsory Purchase Orders.

A planning application for the scheme was made last year. It is at mye-

planning.oxfordshire.gov.uk, application no. MW.0027/22. At the time,

300 local residents wrote in. More than 90% opposed the flood channel

part of the scheme, which would:

• permanently reduce biodiversity, notably at Hinksey Meadow;

• be poor value for money, protecting only 51 extra homes at £470,000

per home in a 1-in-50 year flood event, compared to the scheme with

no channel;

• reduce access to a huge area of public space, especially during the 3-

5 year construction period;

• and require 40mph restrictions on the A34 at South Hinksey to allow

lorries carrying the scraped-out spoil from the channel to get onto the

ring road.*

Oxfordshire County Council responded by asking the Environment

Agency for more information. This has now been delivered and is on the

planning application website (totalling about 400 documents!). It shows

that, even without considering Hinksey Meadow, and despite the wetland

habitats that the scheme would create, there would still be a loss of bio-

diversity on site. It also confirms (at Appendices Q and U for any keen

planning application readers) that the scheme without the channel

would provide significant flood protection, be cheaper, and avoid

almost all the damage and disruption.

* An option of removing spoil by rail is being explored.

Please comment on the planning application by 20 April to Mat-

thew.Case@oxfordshire.gov.uk. The information about how to do this is

on www.oxfordfloodandenvironmentgroup.com, and www.hinkseyand os-

ney.org but just a brief email summarising your reasons for supporting or

opposing the scheme would already be helpful.

There will be a meeting about the scheme at the Assembly Room

at Oxford Town Hall on 17 April at 7pm

A Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) allows an organisation to force

people to sell their land to the organisation. Because CPOs are so dras-

tic, removing people’s rights to their own land, objections to a CPO often

go to public inquiry. Land owners’ objections carry more weight, but other

users of the land, such as recreational users, can also object.

Normally, organisations serve CPOs only after they have received plan-

ning permission. However the Environment Agency has already served

CPOs for the flood alleviation scheme, including for Hinksey Meadow and

nearby fields, one owned by the Ferry Hinksey Trust and leased to the

Scouts, Seacourt Nature Park, and the fields along the Electric Avenue

from Osney Mead to South Hinksey.

If you use any CPO land, please send comments to FloodsCasework@de-

fra.gov.uk by 2nd April (though they may well accept comments after

that, so do write in regardless). Your comments should state the title of

the order “Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme: compulsory purchase order

2023”, the grounds for your objection, your address, and your interest in

the land (e.g. dog walking).

Professor Riki Therivel and Canon Dr Chris Sugden

Hinksey and Osney Environment Group

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sprout notices

The Sprout is looking for new directors to help us stay on track. It’s not an

onerous job. We meet two or three times a year, to review the accounts, plan

the AGM and discuss any controversial issues that may arise. The

atmosphere of our meetings is friendly and co-operative. If this sounds like

something you’d like to do, please get in touch via

editor@thesprout.org.uk.

We also need some more deliverers. Just half an hour a month, and the

chance to get out and see what’s going on in another part of the locality.

Painless really, but a vital job! Get in touch initially via the Editor as above.

4th Oxford Scouts

The 4th Oxford Scout Group will be organising the Oxford Greenbelt 10k

run on Saturday 24th June. It will start on the playing fields at Brookes

Sport, Harcourt Hill at 11.00. The run is

through beautiful countryside with views

over the dreaming spires and is open to

anyone of any ability who is 16 years or

older. The funds raised will go to 4th

Oxford Scout Group and Oxfordshire

Jamboree Unit (to help scouts attend the

World Scout Jamboree in Korea this

summer). Please use this QR code, or

this link https://bit.ly/greenbelt_10k, for

more information and joining instructions.

Hopefully we’ll see many of you there!

James Wynne, Chair of Trustees.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kennington Memory Club

Kennington Memory Club is pleased to announce that the number of

members it can accommodate at its Day Centre is set to rise by two a

day to twelve. This means there will be more spaces for those with a

diagnosis of dementia to attend the Day Centre at its Monday and

Thursday sessions. If you or someone you know would like to attend,

please contact our Organiser, Helen, on 07852 883496, or by email to

memoryclub1@outlook.com.

LADDERTHON 2023 is now fast approaching. This is a crazy idea! A

long, long ladder will wind its way on a long, long circuit from Headington

to Kennington, carried by stalwart volunteers, taking in Cowley Centre

and Oxford City centre en route, fundraising all the way. Three charities

based in Kennington, Headway and the MacIntyre Centre as well as

Kennington Memory Club will benefit from this extraordinary endeavour.

They all extend their services to an area well beyond Kennington,

including Cumnor. If you would like to be part of the Memory Club

volunteer army along the way, please contact Isobel Birse by emailing

chair@kenningtonmemoryclub.org.uk. Many thanks to Roger

Dennett who came up with this unique idea and is the mastermind behind

its organisation. Isobel Birse

Robin Palmer – A Football Story

Robin Palmer, who

died on 19th February

at the age of 83, left his

mark on the world as a

champion of indige-

nous land rights, and

particularly women’s

land rights, in South-

ern Africa, first for

Oxfam and then for the

Mokoro consultancy.

While still with Oxfam

UK he established the

Land Rights in Africa

website which col-

lected information relating to the struggle for the return of land rights to

indigenous small farmers on the Continent.

If you google Robin Palmer, Oxfam, you will find a string of heart-warm-

ing tributes to his passion for justice for the underdog, to the breadth of

his knowledge and willingness to share it, and to his generosity as a men-

tor. There is so much to say about Robin that these short pages can

hardly do him justice. He was a valued Sprout director and always enliv-

ened our meetings with a bottle of wine from his carefully chosen cellar.

What is less well known is his lifelong love of sport, which led to this fa-

vourite anecdote, told at his funeral by his daughter Janna.

“I wasn’t planning to be in England at all in 1966.

In late 1965 I was living in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe),

researching for a PhD on land and politics in Rhodesia, based at the local

University College.

Then, on 11th November, Ian Smith, the white settler leader, made his

illegal Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) from Britain.

Subsequently a number of people at the University College, including my-

self, signed a letter to The Times saying that we did not recognize or

accept the illegal regime of Mr Smith and his colleagues. Fairly soon after

that, I received a letter from the Rhodesian Immigration Ministry stating

that in view of my action they would not be renewing my Student’s

Residence Permit, I was now a Prohibited Immigrant (capital letters!)

and so I was required to leave the country within seven days.

That was a bit of a shock! The University College appealed on my be-

half and the thing dragged on until the end of March 1966 when I got my

final marching orders!

About the first thing I did when I arrived was to get along to Wembley to

buy tickets for the World Cup!

I managed to get tickets for all the England group matches at Wembley –

against Uruguay (0-0), France (2-0) and Mexico (2-0), and also for the

quarter-final against Argentina (1-0) and the semi-final against Portugal

(2-1).

But I wasn’t able to get a ticket for the final (England v West Germany).

To be honest not many people (me included) thought that England would

get that far.

A curious thing then happened. The biggest surprise of the entire tourna-

ment was when the total outsiders North Korea knocked out the fancied

Italians 1-0.

A few days later, I was having lunch at a favourite Italian restaurant near

Russell Square, Trattoria Verdi. Rather mischievously, I asked the waiter

if they had any North Korean food on the menu! He laughed and said no.

But he did have a ticket for the World Cup Final! Would I like to buy it from

him?

Would I! How much? I asked. Ten pounds he said. That was a lot of

money in those days, but I knew with absolute certainty that England

would never get to a final of the World Cup again in my lifetime, so I

bought it.

And what a ticket it was – just about the best in the house! It was right in

the middle, just below the royal box, and in a seat right at the end of a

row. Which meant that when Bobby Moore and his team climbed up the

steps to receive their winners’ medals, they passed right in front of me

and so I was able to pat them all on their backs as they went up to shake

hands with the Queen.

Moral of the story – life can often be full of surprises!”

Robin was one of those rare human beings who left the world a better

place than they found it. We were lucky to have him here in Botley where

he was a solid supporter of the library campaigns (fending off closures of

Botley Library) and West Way Community Concern, as well as a keen

allotment holder. The Sprout sends sympathy and best wishes to his wife

and family. AgM

Information Classification: General

North Hinksey Parish Council is recruiting for two roles:

Parish Clerk - 27 hours/week

Responsible Financial Officer (RFO) - 10 hours/week

The roles can be combined into one full time role for candidates with appropriate experience.

Other types of job share may also be considered.

Salary: Pro rata, NJC pay scales 24 to 28 (currently £31,099 to £34,723 ). Progression

to scale points 29 to 32 possible with experience and training.

Local Government Pension scheme.

With a population of c.5000 and an annual Parish Precept around £100k, Botley &

North Hinksey is an active Parish Council with 14 members. We are seeking

committed and enthusiastic professionals to help us achieve our ambitious vision,

including delivery of new leisure facilities and becoming a zero-carbon Council.

The Parish Clerk provides executive support for all NHPC activities and advises the

Council on legal, personnel, planning, and regulatory matters related to Council

business. Located in the Parish office in West Way Square with some home working

also possible, you will attend all Council and Committee meetings, requiring

evening work on Thursdays. The Clerk will have management responsibility for the

part time RFO and part time groundskeeper.

Requirements: attention to detail, computer literacy, teamwork, a friendly and

professional communication style, excellent organisational and time-management

skills. CiLCA qualification and Local Government experience are highly desirable,

but the Council can support training towards CiLCA qualification.

The Responsible Financial Officer (RFO) administers all of the Council's financial

affairs. The position requires strong organisational and interpersonal skills,

experience with financial/accounting practices, a good working knowledge of

Receipts and Payments bookkeeping, VAT, payroll processes, and use of commercial

accounting software. The Council will support the successful candidate in any

further training needed and continuing professional development.

The RFO will report to the Clerk and predominantly be a homeworker with options

to spend some time in the Parish office.

Application deadline: 21

April Application form and job descriptions online at

www.northhinksey-pc.gov.uk You may also contact the Chair Caroline Potter to

discuss the role: caroline.potter@northhinksey-pc.gov.uk, 07590 194768.

VACANCIES AT NORTH HINKSEY PARISH COUNCIL

Your Council Tax 2023-24

Dear Residents,

I received my council tax bill via email, and I realised it’s a pretty

complicated thing. So I thought that, to be useful, I could help by

explaining how it all works.

This article is a necessarily brief approach. For the more thorough

treatment, see my blog: http://cllrdebbyhallett.com/2023/03/15/your-

council-tax/

Your council tax amount is based on your property value as assessed in

1991. If your property is newer than that, valuation assessors have

determined its value for tax band purposes.

You pay your council tax monthly (actually 10 out of 12 months; you get

a break in Feb and March). It comprises four separate taxes, set by each

authority:

1. Oxfordshire County Council

2. Thames Valley Police

3. Vale of White Horse District Council

4. Your parish precept

For the upcoming 2023-24 year, here are the taxes for a Band D property:

1. County: £1734.03

2. Police: £256.28

3. Vale: £151.26

4. Parish, which is set by the parish council or parish meeting:

a. North Hinksey: £51.20

b. South Hinksey: £105.06

c. Sunningwell: £55.33

d. Wytham: £39.44

As you can see, County gets the largest portion of your Council Tax by

far. They fund social care, NHS, fire & rescue, schools, roads and many

other things. Police get the next highest amount; they were allowed to put

their rates up by £15 this year. Districts are limited to a maximum £5 rise,

and that funds waste and recycling collection, planning services, leisure

facilities and more. Parishes set the precept based on their planned

spending.

So that’s how it works! Debby Hallett District Councillor.

Dosa Park has Arrived In Botley

So what IS a Dosa? This was the first question I asked Mani Velusamy,

the manager of the much anticipated and newly arrived Dosa Park in

Botley’s West Way Square.

If, like me, you love Indian food but are unfamiliar with South Indian nosh,

you will be interested to learn that a Dosa is a thin pancake made from a

fermented batter of ground black lentils and rice. Dosas are served hot

with a variety of fillings, often with chutney and sambar (a spicy stew of

lentils and mixed vegetables) and not only are they gluten free, vegan,

probiotic, and low in calories but they provide a perfect balance of protein

and carbohydrate. What’s not to love? At Dosa Park you have a choice

of 10 different toppings as well as an extensive menu featuring authentic

classic Indian dishes. Everything is freshly cooked to a high standard.

I chatted to Abdul who, along with his

business partner Raji, originally set

up a chicken shop in Park End Street.

Then, in 2009, when Abdul’s long-

term friend Mani joined the team, it

blossomed into Dosa Park serving

traditional South Indian food. This

original branch used to be take-away

only but it now has seating as well.

The Dosa Park team are thrilled to

have been able to expand the

business by opening the new

restaurant in Botley, with 60 covers

and more seating planned for outside

in the summer. The Botley venue

has the advantage of two hours’ free

parking in any of West Way’s official car parks, enabling Dosa Park’s

many fans to make a trip from further afield, via the ring road. Mani has

lived in Botley for three years, handily only a couple of minutes’ walk from

the restaurant and his twins attend a local school. Abdul mentioned that

he is hoping to move here too and they both cited the really good feeling

of community in our neighbourhood.

There are plans afoot to bring in a student discount in Botley, like the one

already enjoyed at the Park End Street shop. By the time you read this

it may already be in place along with a children’s menu which is

currently being worked on. Although these guys are planning ahead –

hoping to open more branches eventually – Abdul emphasized the

importance of the human connection, running his team of 25 people as a

family and feeding people from the heart was how he put it. His maxim

for the team is ‘Work together, grow together’. The respect they have for

each other and the community is palpable.

Alongside Dosa Park’s commitment to provide fresh, quality food is the

desire to keep things affordable. As well as the student discount

mentioned above, Dosa Park are planning a 20% discount (both eat in

and take-away) on Mondays to Fridays between the hours of 12 noon

and 4.00pm. They’re also happy to offer coffee, and dessert if that’s your

fancy, as a welcome break from your shopping trip.

Opening hours from the beginning of April will be 12 noon until 10pm

Monday to Saturday, and from noon until 9pm on Sunday. Dosa Park is

also open for take-away and there are plans to collaborate with Just Eat,

Deliveroo, and Uber Eats.

Mani asked me to pass on Dosa Park’s thanks to the Botley community

for the local support and said it has given them a great confidence boost

to see so many people enthusiastically visiting them. Judging from the

delicious meal my husband and I enjoyed at Dosa Park the other evening,

that support is well deserved.

Viv Smith

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS

P23/V0355/HH

56 North Hinksey Lane.

Single storey rear extension, 2-

storey side extension, replace

garage for accommodation.

10 February

Target Decision

Date:

7 April

P23/V0386/T56

Land at Oxford RFC North Hinksey

Lane. New 30m lattice tower to

include relocation of 12 antennae, 4

x 0.6m dish antennae.

13 February

TDD: 9 April

P23/V0490/S73

Variation of

condition 2, app

P20/V0921/FUL

Botley Centre West Way.

Addition of a plant room and

updates to window design.

27 February

TDD: 29 May

P23/V0553/HH

36 Hurst Rise Rd. Erect partial two-

storey, partial 1-storey rear

extension.

6 March

TDD: 1 May

Botley Has Cafés

The Mystery Eater (ME) and a friend went to sample Loomsbury in the

first week that it opened. The pink-and-baby-blue exterior sign gave way

to a yellow-and-green interior with attractive lights and a large, pinkish,

not-sure-what-to-call-it-but-maybe ‘bouquet’ at the back. After all the

Facebook hoopla, we were expecting the place to be heaving, and every

booth did have one person in it, but the atmosphere was relaxed and

quiet. It was easy to talk.

The ice creams and cakes were colourful and attractively laid out. We

ordered two cakes and drinks. There were no prices on anything and the

total ended up being more than £20. Ouch! The cakes arrived in a bowl,

with a thick layer of whipped frosting, and swimming in neon-coloured

sauces. They were tasty in an experimental, not-sure-if-I’d-want-this-

again way. The drinks didn’t come. And didn’t come. We flagged down

one of the charming staff and they finally did come, and were good.

A few days later the ME and another friend went to the Missing Bean.

The décor was less jarring, mostly wood and neutral colours, but the

seating was less comfortable: lots of people crammed together in a small

noisy place. The pricing was clear, and our two drinks and two cakes

cost less than £12. The cakes didn’t look as vibrant as those at

Loomsbury, but tasted like they were made with real ingredients, and

were very moreish. Our drinks arrived promptly.

Overall the ME thinks that Loomsbury would be good for families because

of its nice booths, ice cream, and bright colours… that is, if Loomsbury

could bring their prices down to a more manageable level. Being of a

more advanced age, the ME prefers the taste of the cakes at Missing

Bean, and the lower prices, but wishes that they had more generous,

comfortable seating.

There will be more reports from our Mystery Eater as Botley’s new

eateries open up. We welcome reviews from friends and neighbours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Parish and District Council Elections

Will take place on Thursday 4th May. You will need to bring photo ID

(passport, driving licence, etc). If you don’t have it, apply before 25th April

for a free Voter Authority Certificate. The online page with more info and

an application form is here: https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-

authority-certificate. Or vote by post (no ID needed).

Local Affordable Housing – Crofts Court

Local people and businesses have pledged over

£540,000 through a community share offer to support

the affordable housing scheme at Crofts Court in

Dean Court. Thanks to this great success, the share

offer will stay open until 12 April 2023, so there’s still

time to invest. Details at www.ethex.org.uk/invest/OCLT

(or scan the QR code).

More than 170 investors

have already put in amounts

of between £250 and

£50,000. The money raised

will reduce how much the

scheme’s developer and

owner, Oxfordshire

Community Land Trust

(OCLT) needs to borrow at

commercial rates to

complete the project.

The eight affordable one-

and two-bedroom homes

are due to be finished and let to people with a Cumnor Parish connection

this summer. When Directors visited the site on March 10th, they found

the internal walls have been plastered and painted, making the rooms

look light and spacious. The next stage is for scaffolding to come down

and kitchens to be fitted.

OCLT board member and local resident Alison Mathias said: ‘We've been

overwhelmed by the response and the number of people who want to

support our work and build community-owned, permanently affordable

homes. Huge thanks to everyone who has invested so far – we hope to

attract even more new investors in the weeks ahead.’

You can also support the project by becoming a community member of

OCLT for just one pound, or by offering your time, help, services or

resources in any other way – we’re open to all ideas, especially from

people and companies near to Dean Court.

To find out more about the Crofts Court development and OCLT’s future

plans to build more affordable homes to tackle Oxfordshire’s housing

crisis, please email info@oclt.org.uk or call 07889 209448.

Culture Corner

There is a classical gig coming up at the tap Social on 18th April at 7.30,

but without any of the formal trappings often associated with the classical

genre. Tickets/ details here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/559667188627

The Salomé Quartet are four award-winning musicians who met at the Royal

College of Music and have performed at many of the most prestigious venues

in the UK.

But they've never played a concert quite like this before...

Despite the fact that hearing classical music can be a thrilling experience,

people can sometimes feel that it's formal and stuffy and somehow not for

them. This concert aims to change that. You're invited to sit on the floor right

next to the musicians if you like (bring a cushion!), to clap when you want, to

show your emotions and respond to this fabulous music just as you would to

any other.

They'll be playing:

SCHUBERT: Quartet in D Minor "Death and the Maiden"

CAROLINE SHAW: Entr'acte

HAYDN: Quartet in B flat "Sunrise"

HILDEGARD VON BINGEN: Three Antiphons

PS The Earthquake Fundraiser concert raised a wonderful £1094!

Art ‘reveal’ and workshop kicks off Spring

Saturday 18th March felt like the start of Spring in Botley. Sunshine and

intermittent showers, warmer temperatures and the promise of brighter

days ahead. So it was the perfect conditions for the official ‘reveal’ of the

first of three public art works in our shopping and community centre.

I hope readers have all now had a

chance to see the mosaic panels by

Clare Goodall with their beautiful

depictions of plants, animals, birds

and bugs, now they are in position on

the outside of the community building

on the corner below the Library. As

mentioned in last month’s Sprout, the

mosaics have been created with

community input from the original

ideas to the hands-on creation. Local

people of all ages were involved, with

specific input from the children of

Botley and North Hinksey Primary

Schools, so we hope many people will

be able to spot their own or their

family’s and neighbours’ contributions

to these works. The photo shows the

artists in front of the panels.

Look out for the next artworks to be installed: two huge carved stones by

Alex Wenham have been finished and planning permission granted to

install in the central area of the shopping centre. We are discussing dates

with Mace and Gilbert Ash who are organising the bases. Then the third

element is a mural by Nor Greenhalgh who held another workshop on

Saturday to gather more ideas and input from local people of all ages.

Look out for dates for these installations later this Spring and Summer.

Thank you to Fusion Arts for their ongoing support with this work as well

as our Vale Arts Officer, Abi Brown, and the artists themselves.

What’s next for public art in Botley?

These public artworks are funded by Section 106 money from the West

Way development which is specifically earmarked for spending on

artwork in the vicinity of new developments. We will soon have more

S106 art funding available for other projects:

1. Phase 2 of the West Way development: to be completed by No-

vember 2023. There is more funding for an artwork that could go near

the junction of West Way and Westminster Way, visible to traffic en-

tering Botley.

2. Turner Drive: there are allocated funds for art to be spent in or

around the vicinity of the Turner Drive development. This needs to be

spent by November 2025.

We would be interested in hearing from residents in the Turner Drive area

who have ideas to put forward, and to get further input from the

community as a whole on how public art could enhance the area for

residents. Please get in touch via PublicArt@northhinksey-pc.gov.uk

North Hinksey Parish Council Public Art Working Group

Botley Youth Club – 2023 Update

As you may well know by now Botley Youth Club is returning as a weekly

Wednesday night club, meeting at the Louie Memorial Pavilion and

Fields. We hope to begin sessions towards the end of April/early May –

we’re just waiting for constitutional and operational formalities to clear.

In the meantime we held our second taster party at the end of January,

celebrating the New Year together with games, food and fun!

Thirty five young people between 10 and 15 wrapped up warmly and

enjoyed fruit smoothies, hot dogs and a ton of fresh fruit and veg (believe

it or not!), while playing table football, floodlit table-tennis, Christmas card

memory game, (non) Beer Pong and one or two tricks, puzzles and

challenges

that defy

names … not

forgetting the

Jackson

Pollock

painting room

– see pic.

Two hours of

organised

chaos

passed

almost as

quickly as the

sighting of

the

International

Space Station flying overhead, which ended our evening…indeed blink

and you’d have missed it! The good news is we’ll be back EVERY WEEK

very soon!

We will also have hosted a volunteers evening to meet anyone interested

in getting involved, share ideas, plan for the future, and combine our

backgrounds, skills and interests to create a safe, dependable and

nourishing space for our young people to grow. Above all we hope to

have FUN!!

To find out more about BYC contact us botleyyouthclub@gmail.com or on

Instagram @botley_youth_club

Second Botley Brownies

February has been a remarkably busy month for us all. We started off

with a trip to the annual Oxfordshire Scout & Guide Gang Show at Radley

College. This is a full two-hour show of skits, dancing and songs all

performed by young members of both the Scout and Girlguiding

movements between the ages of 7 and 25 years. The Brownies really did

enjoy themselves – some even joined in with the singing! It was a very

special year this year as it was the 70th Anniversary of the show and it

also featured Snowy Owl’s daughter, Gemma. Both Tawny and Snowy

Owl had also appeared in the Show when they were younger as Brownies

and Guides.

The following Saturday several of the girls attended the Oxford City II

Division Thinking Day Activity morning at the

King’s Centre on Osney Mead. Here they

worked diligently towards the Girlguiding “Our

World, Our Thriving Future” badge by

completing a pictorial quiz on inspirational

women, a balloon paint art of the world, further

crafts and a calming meditation activity.

“Thinking Day” is always on 22nd February and

is the birthdate of both our founder Lord Baden

Powell and also that of his wife Lady Olave

Baden Powell, our first World Chief Guide. On

this day members of both Scouting and

Girlguiding think of other members all around the world.

Within our weekly meetings all the girls have been working very hard on

the Innovate section of the programme. This has involved thinking about

a lot of inventions which we all take for granted now but which, at some

point in history, needed inventing. Alarmingly, we

have been thinking about life before toilet paper,

torches and ball-point pens! The girls were then

tasked, in two groups, to come up with a completely

new invention and wow did they come up with a

couple of brilliant ideas! (Dragons’ Den here we

come).

STOP PRESS: as we were putting this article to bed Girlguiding has just

announced that it is “refreshing our brand”. More about what that will

entail next month.

Brown Owl

Randoms

CoE Easter services: Maundy Thursday 6th April, 7.00pm Holy Com-

munion; Good Friday, 2.00pm, An Hour at the Cross; Easter Day, 9.30am

Holy Communion at Ss Peter and Paul; and at St. Lawrence, North

Hinksey, Holy Communion at 11.30am on Easter Day. Plus:

Saturday 29th April, 4-6pm – Messy Church: Bible stories, games, craft,

food, songs for primary school ages children and their carers at Ss Peter

and Paul, and on Monday 8th May, 2-4pm – Coronation Cream Teas and

guided Tours at St Lawrence’s Church, raising funds for North Hinksey

Primary School. Teas: £5.00 per head, children free.

Hill End Family Days

11-12-13 April. Easter Family Forest days: trails, nature crafts, pond dip-

ping, campfire & a BBQ lunch. https://hill-end.org/news

Oxford & District ROS Support Group

The Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) has an Oxfordshire based local

Support Group. We are a team of volunteers who raise awareness about

bone health and aim to eradicate the many negative impacts of the

condition, such as disability following fractures. We can provide you with

information, and support from others with osteoporosis. We hold events

throughout the year, such as online talks with trusted medical

professionals knowledgeable about the condition and we meet face to

face at local venues. To find out more, please get in touch by calling

07900 303510 or by emailing oxfordvolunteers@theros.org.uk

April in Botley Library

Saturday 1st April – Cllr Judy Roberts Surgery 10-12pm

Monday 3rd Ex Library Stock Book Sale Starts (running for 2 weeks)

Mondays 3rd, 17th, 24th – 10-12pm ‘Pop in’ for tea and coffee

Tuesdays 4th, 11th – 2pm Craft Event for children

Tuesday 25th – Lego Club 3-4.30pm

Thursdays 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th – Craft Club for Adults 2pm

Friday 7th Closed (Bank Holiday)

Saturday 8th – Open 9.30 -1pm (usual Saturday Hours)

Monday 10th Closed (Bank Holiday)

Friday 14th, 21st, 28th – Rhymetime 10am

– Board games 4-6pm

Organizations: If your organization is not listed here, please send details

to editor@thesprout.org.uk or telephone 724452 for inclusion.

1st Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Dean Court Community Centre Thur 6–7.30 Jean

Metson, firstbotleybrownies@gmail.com

2nd Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Rosary Room, Yarnells Hill. Tues 6:15-7:45 Alison

Griffin 2ndbotleybrownies@outlook.com

4th Oxford Scout Group

Beavers, Cub Scouts, Scouts

mail@thefourth.org.uk Website:

http://www.thefourth.org.uk/

15th Oxford Scout Group

Boys and girls welcome

Fridays, Cubs 6.30-8, Scouts 8-9.30, Pavilion, Fogwell Rd.

Amy Cusden (Cubs) 07887 654386, Tom Freeman (Scouts)

07837 623768 xvoxfordscouts@yahoo.co.uk

Baby & Toddler Group

Tues/Thurs 9.15–11, SS Peter & Paul Church Hall

BikeSafe. B4044 community

path campaign

Wants to connect Botley to Eynsham. Meets every 6-8

weeks. Contact via website B4044path.org

Books on Wheels R.V.S.

Free Library Service for housebound Ox. 248142

Botley Boys & Girls F.C.

Football teams from ages 8-16

Terri Matthews: clubsecretarybbgfc@gmail.com

Botley Community Larder

Thursdays, 3.30 to 5.30 at St P&P Church Hall, West

Way, Facebook or email

botleylarder@gmail.com

Botley and Kennington

Patients Participation Group

Second Tuesday in the Month, early evening.

Contact csugden@ocrpl.org

Botley Health Walks

2nd & 4th Sats 9.50 Louie Memorial Field car park, or

Tues 11 am Library botleyhealthroutes@gmail.com

Botley Library

07922 849680. Open till 7 on Friday and 1pm on Sat,

otherwise 9.30 to 5.30 (closed Wednesdays).

Botley Memory Lane Café

Thursdays 10-12 Seacourt Hall Lounge, Diccon James

07740 611971

Botley Seniors Lunch Club

Alternate Thursdays. Seacourt Hall. Jackie Warner

Ox.721386

Botley Youth Club

botleyyouthclub@gmail.com

Cumnor Choral Society

Thursdays, 19.30-21.30 St Andrew’s Ch. Steve Morris,

chair. www.cumnorchoralsociety.wordpress.com

Cumnor Chess Club

Thurs 7–9pm Cumnor Old School. Steven Bennett

01993 684494 www.cumnorchessclub.co.uk

Cumnor & District

Historical Society

Last Monday of the month 7.30-9.00 Cumnor Old

School. 01865 724808

Cumnor Gardening Club

http://cumnorgardens.org.uk/

tel 01865 721026

Harmony InSpires, Ladies'

Acappella Singing Group

Wed 7.30 at Appleton Village Hall. C. Casson 01235

831352 or harmonyinspires@hotmail.co.uk

Hill End Volunteer Team

Contact: David Millin on david.millin@hill-end.org,

call 863510 or visit www.hillend-oec.co.uk

Lawn Tennis Club

Family club Email: Tennis@OxfordSportsLTC.org

07824 881680 www.oxfordsportsltc.org

West Oxford Singing Circle

Weds 2-3pm, WOCC, Emily 07969 522368 or see

www.emilyschoirs.co.uk

Morris Dancing – Cry Havoc

Barbara Brett 249599 or bag@cryhavoc.org.uk

North Hinksey Preschool

and Childcare clubs

Mon–Fri 7.45am–6.00 pm. Tel 794287 or email

nhps.manager1@gmail.com

N Hinksey Art Group

Weds 10–12.00 W.I. Hall Christina 07931 707997

N Hinksey Bellringers

Contact: Ray Rook 01865 241451

N Hinksey Conservation

Volunteers

Meets at weekends Contact Voirrey Carr

07798743121 voirreyc@aol.com

N Hinksey, Friends of

Annual Cricket Match/ Walk. Douglas Bond 791213.

N Hinksey Parish Council

clerk@northhinksey-pc.gov.uk

Oxford Flood Alliance

R Thurston 01865 723663 or 07973 292035

Oxford Flower Arranging

Club

4th Thursday Cumnor. Dympna Walker: Ox 865259

Oxford Harmony

Wednesdays 7.30 – 9.30 pm at Seacourt Hall

Contact pro@oxfordharmony.co.uk

Oxford Otters

Swimming for people with disabilities. Sundays,

twice monthly. Contact: Alan Cusden 723420

Oxford Rugby Club

Boys and girls from 5, kevin.honner@ntlworld.com

Seniors, training etc jbrodley@chandlings.org.uk.

Raleigh Park, Friends of

Email: raleighpark@raleighpark.org.uk

Seacourt Hall Management

Committee

Contact Lottie White, 07452 960100, or see

https://www.seacourthall.org.uk

Shotokan Karate Club

6+ WOCC twice weekly

Martyn King 07836 646450

Stagecoach Botley

Botley School, Saturdays 9:00am–3pm Performing

Arts for 4-16 yr-olds 01865 590510 or 01235 390810

West Oxford Bowls Club

Dave Ellerker 07931 603801

wobc.membership@gmail.com

West Oxford Taekwon Do

Club

Mon, Thurs 6.30-8pm, MA gym, contact Chris Hall

01865 570291 www.wotkd.co.uk

West Oxford U3A

(Uni of the 3rd Age) http://westoxfordu3a.org.uk/

Women’s Institute (Botley)

Alison Jenner 07598 251161

alisonjenner@yahoo.com

Weight Watchers

Thursdays 6pm at SS Peter & Paul Church Hall

Banso tel: 07779 253899 bansob@aol.com

Botley Baptist Church,

I Church Way

Contact: Building Manager 07742

662668 botleybaptist@gmail.com

The Rosary Room

Yarnells Hill, Elms Rise

Contact: Maria Brown,

Tel : 01 86 5 2 47 9 86 .

SS Peter & Paul Church

Hall, West Way, Botley

Contact: 01865 242057 or

osneybenefice@outlook.com.

Women's Institute Hall,

North Hinksey Lane

Contact: Val Warner

Tel . 01 86 5 2 45 2 73

Seacourt Hall,

3 Church Way

Contact: Lottie White on 07452 960100,

or email admin@seacourthall.org.uk

Pavilion, Arnold’s Way,

Elms Rise, Botley

Contact: Darren Blase 241254

louiememorialpavilion@gmail.com

Oxford Rugby Club,

North Hinksey Village

Contact:. Mary Bagnall

mary.bagnall1@btinternet.com.

North Hinksey & Botley Churches

Times of Services (once resumed) and Contacts

St. Lawrence, Church of England, North Hinksey Lane

1st, 2nd, 4

, 5

Sunday 11.30am Holy Communion

3rd Sunday 11.30am Matins

St. Peter and St. Paul, Church of England, West Way

Sundays 9.30am Holy Communion

Wednesdays 10.30am Holy Communion in Chapel of Holy Spirit

1st Saturday each month, 4–5.30pm Messy Church for children and carers

Rev Clare Sykes, Tel. 01865 242345 or revclare@btinternet.com

See table above for Church Hall enquiries.

Our Lady of the Rosary, Roman Catholic, Yarnells Hill

Saturday 6.30pm Mass

Sunday 9.15am Mass

Fr Daniel Lloyd 07584 323915 dlloyd@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk.

Botley Baptist Church, 1 Church Way

Sunday Service 11 am

Wednesday Zoom Bible Study 7.30pm

Choir practice Thursday 2pm

Diane Melchert 07742 662668 www.botleybaptistchurch.org

Calvary Chapel

Sunday services on 1st Floor, 1 Church Way at 9.30am with

crèche, children’s Sunday school and youth group

Pastor Steve Vickery 01865 586332

contact@ccox.church website: www.ccoxford.church

What’s On

April

Sun 9th Easter Sunday

11-13th Hill End Family Days

Mon 17th School term begins

Mon 17th 2.30pm, Dean Court Community Centre, U3A talk:

Julie Ann Godson, The Water Gypsy

Mon 17th 7pm, Town Hall, Q&A about Flood Scheme

Tues 18th 7.30pm, Tap Social, Informal Classical Concert,

Salome Quartet

Thur 23rd 7.30pm, Seacourt Hall, Parish Council Meeting

Mon 24th 2.30pm, Dean Court Community Centre, U3A talk:

Jane Fletcher, Art of Giving

Every Tuesday, 1pm-2.30pm, Seacourt Hall, Age UK Warm

Space for everyone, especially older adults, with free tea and

coffee.

Through the week, plenty of different activities in the warm

space of the library (see page 38)

May

Thur 4th Parish and District Council Elections

Sat 6th Coronation (extra bank holiday on Monday)